FATHER AND SON

"He is heartbroken ... To bury your son is the worst thing you can ever do," family attorney Mike Ossi told PEOPLE about John Travolta's reaction to the tragic death of 16-year-old son Jett on Jan. 2 while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas.

HAPPY DAYS

"Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered," John Travolta and Kelly Preston (with daughter Ella Bleu, 8, and Jett) said in a statement on her Web site two days after his death. "We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives."

EYE TO EYE

"I can't imagine what life would be like without Jett," John Travolta told PEOPLE in 1994. "After he was born and cleaned up, I held him for hours while Kelly slept. When they came to take him away for various tests, I said, 'No, you can't see him today. You'll have to do it another day.' I went a little nutsy."

BEHIND BLUE EYES

In 2003, Kelly Preston spoke to Montel Williams about Jett's health struggles. At the age of 2, she said he was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, a condition which can cause inflammation of the arteries and can lead to heart damage. She blamed environmental chemicals – including fumes from professional carpet cleanings in their home – as the catalyst for developing the disease, and credited a detoxification program based on the writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard with helping to improve Jett's health.

A FATHER'S LOVE

"Their relationship was so close,” says family attorney Mike Ossi of Travolta's connection with Jett, who joined his dad in November in Paris, where the actor has been shooting From Paris with Love. "He always said 'I'm happy as long as my kids are happy.' "

FAMILY PORTRAIT

Travolta and Preston (with Jett and Ella Bleu) have been grateful for the outpouring of support as they grieve over Jett's death. "It has meant so much to us," they said in a statement on her Web site. "It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future."